Monday, June 28, 2021

Review: An entertaining evening of opera encores closes out the SLSOs season

What’s better than having the full St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) back on stage for an evening of “Operatic Encores”? Well, how about having free beer and pretzels in the lobby beforehand, courtesy of Schlafly and Gus’s, respectively?

Daniela Candillari, who just finished conducting the “New Works, Bold Voices Lab” at Opera Theatre last week, was on the podium on Thursday (June 24) for this entertaining traversal of works by a diverse group of composers, including one—Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799)—who was the first known black composer of Western classical music. That was a St. Louis premiere, as was the “Entr’acte Sevillana” from Jules Massenet’s “Don César de Bazan.” Candillari found the piece in the SLSO library where it had sat, unperformed, since 1918.

The evening got off to fine start with an energetic performance of the overture to Beethoven’s “Fidelio.” Candillari’s opera house experience is extensive, and it showed in her ability to bring out all the drama here and elsewhere in the program.

Erin Schreiber takes a curtain call on April 23rd

Up next was the 1883 “Carmen Fantasy” by the Spanish violinist/composer Pablo de Sarasate. Sarasate's skill was legendary, and this mini-violin concerto assembled out of themes from Bizet's opera bristles with technical challenges, including an elaborately ornamented version of the famous “Habanera” and the insanely fast finale, based on the Act II “Danse bohème.” The soloist was Assistant Concertmaster Erin Schreiber, who brought down the house with Ravel’s “Tzigane” in April.

Needless to say, she did it again Thursday night. Her playing of the harmonics in the opening Allegro moderato were impressively clear, she had a fine singing tone in the Lento assai, and she handled the flashy finale with stunning precision. Her concentration was intense and her communication with Candillari was close. She earned every bit of her standing ovation.

Schreiber also has a keen understanding of the visual aspect of musical performance, as have many of the great virtuosos of the past. Paganini, for example, famously dressed entirely in black. Schreiber’s color of choice is apparently red, often matching her blood-red violin with bright red gowns that reflect the music being played. This time around, she wore a long, high-necked dress with marked Spanish elements (most prominently lace).  A solo performance is, like it or not, a form of theatre, and costume choice is an important part of that.

Next was the brief and moving prelude to Act III of Verdi’s “La Traviata,” with its fleeting recollections of earlier melodies and the descending motif that anticipates Violetta’s death, all played with great sensitivity by the strings. The mood shifted to the jocular with the overture to Bologne’s only surviving opera, “L’amant anonyme” (“The Anonymous Lover”). It’s an appealing piece, with a jolly opening theme reminiscent of Haydn.

Two works by Jules Massenet were next, beginning with the familiar “Meditation” from Massenet's 1894 operatic potboiler "Thaïs." In the opera it accompanies a wordless scene in which the titular courtesan contemplates abandoning her sybaritic life to join the Cenobite monk Athanaël in the desert. The solo violin and harp are prominently featured, and those roles were filled expertly and with compelling passion by Second Associate Concertmaster Celeste Golden Boyer and Principal Harp Allegra Lilly.

Next was “Entr’acte Sevillana”—brief, colorful, and engaging, with a flute part that anticipates the “Castillane” from his “Le Cid” ballet neatly done by Associate Principal Andrea Kaplan and company.

It was back to familiar territory with the three closing works, starting with the overture to Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte” (“The Magic Flute”), the 1791 Masonic-tinged singspiel (the 18th-century equivalent of a Broadway musical) that would prove to be his last completed work for the stage. The three solemn opening chords were especially stately under Candillari’s baton, and the ingeniously constructed Allegro was delivered with meticulous verve.

Next was the justifiably popular “Intermezzo” from Pietro Mascagni’s one and only hit “Cavalleria rusticana.” The title is usually translated as “Rustic Chivalry,” although that hardly does justice to the opera’s lurid verismo tale of seduction, betrayal, and murder. Thursday night’s performance was romantic enough to make one swoon, which I nearly did; well done.

The evening came to a lively conclusion with the excessively familiar overture to Rossini’s “William Tell.” The opera is rarely performed because of its length and vocal demands, but the overture is another story, especially the stirring “March of the Swiss Guards” that concludes it. Thank you, Lone Ranger.

Daniela Candillari conducting
daniellacandillari.com

In any case, Candillari led the orchestra in a powerful reading of it. The opening “Dawn” section was beautifully done by Principal Cello Daniel Lee, Associate Principal Melissa Brooks, and the double basses under Assistant Principal Christopher Carson. The famous “Storm” sequence had great impact, followed by a perfect English horn and flute duet by Cally Banham and (I assume) Andrea Kaplan, respectively.

The “March” was, of course, a Certified Rouser and an appropriate finish to a crowd-pleasing evening. Credit Candillari’s impressive conducting for that, with its abundance of fire and attention to detail, along with the usual fine playing by the members of the band. It has been quite a while since they were all able to assemble like this, but you wouldn’t have known that from the quality of the performance.

Candillari’s informal and informative comments on the music also added to the easygoing charm of the evening.

The concert opened with a big “thank you” from orchestra CEO Marie-Hélène Bernard and Principal English Horn Cally Banham, who is also the musician representative on the board. They bade a fond farewell to three members of the orchestra who are retiring at the end of the season: Music Librarian Elsbeth Brugger, Principal Flute Mark Sparks, and percussionist and cymbal virtuoso Thomas Stubbs, who has been with the orchestra for half a century.

Mr. Stubbs’s work on his principal instrument can be heard for the next few weeks at the SLSO web site in the spectacular Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 that was originally performed in 2017 and rebroadcast on June 12th on St. Louis Public Radio. The cymbal part in the finale is insanely fast and Stubbs’s performance is nothing short of heroic.

The special “Operatic Encores” concert marked the end of the current season, but tickets are now on sale for the first part of the 21/22 season at the SLSO website. The orchestra will be up to full strength and Powell Hall will be operating at a minimum of 50% capacity, depending on what happens with the pandemic.  Let’s all keep our fingers crossed and get our shots if haven’t already done so, OK?

This article originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.

Sunday, June 27, 2021

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of June 28, 2021

Now including both on-line and live events during the pandemic. To get your event listed here, send an email to calendar [at] stageleft.org.

Arts for Life presents an on-demand video stream of their fifth annual Theatre Mask Awards, honoring excellence in community theatre productions during 2020, on their YouTube channel. Act Two Theatre’s production of the farce “Who’s in Bed with the Butler?” leads this year’s Theatre Mask Awards nominations with nine. Alton Little Theater, with its two productions of “Inherit the Wind” and “The Miracle Worker,” earned 12 nominations in total – six for each. Two classic comedies by Clayton Community Theatre, “The Philadelphia Story,” and Monroe Actors Stage Company, “The Solid Gold Cadillac,” both received eight nominations apiece. Arts For Life announced the TMA nominations on March 12, during the nonprofit organization’s first-ever virtual trivia night. For more information: www.artsforlife.org

The Blue Strawberry presents Open Mic Night with Sean Skrbec and Patrick White Sundays at 7 pm. "Come on down and sing, come on down to play, or come on down to listen and enjoy." The club is operating under a "COVID careful" arrangement with restricted indoor capacity, mask requirements, and other precautions. The Blue Strawberry is on North Boyle in the Central West End. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com.

Sister City Circus
Circus Harmony in St. Louis and Circus Circuli in Stuttgart, St. Louis's German sister city, present Sister City Circus, on Circus Harmony’s YouTube page.  "Through a series of online meetings, workshops, and classes the two troupes created 6 different circus acts and then filmed them at iconic architectural locations in each of their cities." This and many other Circus Harmony videos are available at the Circus Harmony YouTube channel.

Circus Harmony
offers Summer Circus Camps for ages 7-17 through August 13.  "Registration is open for our summer camps and classes for ages three through adult in our circus ring at City Museum! You can also schedule private lessons or book us to come and teach where you are!"  For more information: circusharmony.org.

ERA Theatre presents the radio play SHE by Nancy Bell with music by Joe Taylor and Lyrics by Nancy Bell via on-demand streaming  "SHE controls the radio station of the fascist regime in power. SHE's also the star of the broadcast. Her recording studio abounds with music and oysters. But in the nearby government camps full of misfits and would-be revolutionaries, only torture and starvation is thick on the ground. Tonight, however, SHE's realm feels different. The bombs sound closer. Time moves faster. But SHE will finish her radio show, and it will be her finest. If executing every number in the broadcast means some people need to die, so be it; it is a small sacrifice. The citizens need her and she will not let them down." SHE is available for digital purchase via bandcamp at eratheatre.bandcamp.com. For more information: www.eratheatre.org

Fly North Theatricals presents three new free digital series. Their new digital line up includes The Spotlight Series, the Grown-Up Theatre Kids Podcast, and Gin and the Tonic. The Spotlight Series highlights the Fly North family of students and actors performing songs from previous FNT shows. In the Grown-Up Theatre Kids podcast you can join Colin Healy and Bradley Rohlf every other Friday as they explore life after drama club and what it means to make a living in theatre far from the lights of broadway. Gin and the Tonic is a "reckless unpacking of music history’s weirdest stories hosted by Colin Healy.” The Spotlight Series and Gin and the Tonic are available at the Fly North Theatricals YouTube channel and the Grown-Up Theatre Kids podcast can also be found on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Sticher, other podcast platforms. All three are updated on a bi-weekly (every other week) basis.

The Lemp Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents Clueless through August 28. "Welcome to the world of big business, old mansions and family politics. You’re invited To the birthday celebration of the oldest, (and richest), man in town. Lucky you! Some would kill for the opportunity to meet Barnabas Barnaby Baggs, the famous Pickle Baron. He sure has made a lot of enemies on his rise to the top! I hope none of his enemies tries to kill him tonight. But if they do, will you know who did it? Maybe his latest girlfriend? The angry ex-wife? the spoiled nephew? Perhaps the jealous competitor? …Or You? Regardless, you’ll have to figure it whodunnit because we’re Clueless!" The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place in south city. For more information: www.lempmansion.com

Moonstone Theatre Company presents Moonstone Connections, a series of in-depth interviews with arts leaders by company founder Sharon Hunter. The latest episode features musical theatre composer and director Kevin Connors. New episodes air the third Tuesday of each month; see linktr.ee/moonstoneconnections for more information.

Mlima's Tale
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents the St. Louis premiere of Mlima's Tale by Lynn Nottage through July 11th. "Mlima, a majestic and powerful African elephant, is murdered for his tusks. From beyond the veil of death, Mlima’s spirit follows the path of his tusks on a moving, lyrical journey through the dark world of the international ivory trade. From Lynn Nottage, the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of Sweat and Ruined, Mlima’s Tale is a captivating and haunting fable come to life." Performances take place at the Berges Theatre at COCA, 6880 Washington Avenue in University City. For more information: repstl.org.

R-S Theatrics presents While the Ghostlight Burns, a virtual discussion series featuring R-S Artistic Director Sarah Lynne Holt in conversation with St. Louis theatre artists, Mondays at 7 pm.  Conversations will be archived at the R-S Theatrics YouTube channel. For more information: r-stheatrics.com/while-the-ghostlight-burns.html

The St. Louis Black Rep rounds up its season of virtual programming with a final mainstage production of Do I Move You?, available via on-demand streaming at Vimeo through June 30. Do I Move You? is based on a collection of poetry by Dr. Jonathan Smith, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Saint Louis University and President of The Black Rep Board of Directors. "Smith’s collection of poetry, music, and dance pulls inspiration from Jazz, religion, love, family, and some of the greatest musicians of our time -  Donny Hathaway, Louis Jordan, and Marvin Gaye. Conceived by Producing Director Ron Himes, using devised theatre, Black Rep Director and Choreographer Heather Beal weaves a web of music, dance, and poetry. Themes of betrayal, identity, discovery, and love flow throughout the performance, culminating to answer one very important question, 'Do I Move You?'” For more information: theblackrep.org.

SATE, in collaboration with COCA and Prison Performing Arts, presents Project Verse: Creativity in the Time of Quarantine. Project Verse presents two new plays: Quatrains in Quarantine by e.k. doolin and Dream On, Black Girl: Reflections in Quarantine by Maxine du Maine. The performances are streamed free of charge on SATE’s website and Facebook page. For more information: slightlyoff.org.

Classic Mystery Game
SATE also offers streaming performances of the shows originally scheduled for live 2020 productions: The Mary Shelley Monster Show, As You Like It (produced for SHAKE20, Project Verse, and Classic Mystery Game. The shows are available on their YouTube channel.

Stray Dog Theatre’s Silver Stage Program presents an on-demand streaming audio version of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. The production features a cast of actors exclusively over the age of 55. For more information: straydogtheatre.org.

Upstream Theater presents Refuge and Reconciliation: A Retrospective on their YouTube channel June 24-27 and July 1-4. "Once again we reached out to a number of actors, directors, designers and even a critic (!) -- and we hope this foray behind the scenes conveys how grateful we are to have so many talented professionals in our collective." For more information, visit their YouTube Channel.

Looking for auditions and other artistic opportunities? Check out the St. Louis Auditions site.
For information on events beyond this week, check out the searchable database at the Regional Arts Commission's Events Calendar.
Would you like to be on the radio? KDHX, 88.1 FM needs theatre reviewers. If you're 18 years or older, knowledgeable in this area, have practical theatre experience (acting, directing, writing, technical design, etc.), have good oral and written communications skills and would like to become one of our volunteer reviewers, send an email describing your experience and interests to chuck at kdhx.org. Please include a sample review of something you've seen recently.

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Opera Review: An entertaining Center Stage showcase closes out Opera Theatre's season

Saturday night (June 19th) Opera Theatre of St. Louis (OTSL) offered the sixth edition of its annual "Center Stage" concert. I missed the first four and have been kicking myself ever since I discovered, back in 2019, what a delightful show it was.

The "Champagne Song" from Die Fledermaus
Photo by Eric Woolsey

As in previous years, the 2021 edition, which concluded the season with a matinee on June 20th, featured members of OTSL's Gaddes Festival and Gerdine Young Artists programs performing opera excerpts. Unlike previous years, the performance took place outdoors (as has the rest of the 2021 season) and with only piano accompaniment instead of a full orchestra.

Still, the piano was played with consummate skill by Repetiteur Madeline Slettedahl, and Music Director Damien Francoeur-Kryzek conducted the singers with precision. And availability of the outdoor festival stage made it possible to present the excerpts in a more theatrical version than was the case in 2019, when the indoor stage was occupied by the orchestra and the singers were limited to a shallow space in front. This time they had a simple set, a few props, and the massive video screen at the back that enabled the scene to change instantly from an aristocratic drawing room to a British forest, a dungeon, or any other location as needed.

Running 90 minutes with no intermission, the showcase was a well-chosen assortment of scenes of old and new, familiar and rare, and comic and tragic, all delivered with a degree of professionalism that speaks well to the quality of OTSL's programs for emerging artists. The fact that all this took place against the backdrop of thunder, lightning, nearby fireworks displays, and the occasional jet plane detracted not one whit from the polish of the performances. Although it did suggest that everyone concerned deserved some kind of medal for Grace Under Fire (or at least under a severe thunderstorm warning).

James Robinson

OTSL could probably make this an entire evening of operatic Greatest Hits and the vast majority of the audience would consider it a great deal. But the company’s programming has always been more eclectic than that, and so while there were, indeed, a few numbers that even a newbie would recognize, most of the program consisted of either bits of less popular operas like Gluck’s 1779 tragedy “Iphégenie en Tauride” and Massenet’s “Werther” from 1887, or less familiar scenes from big name works like “Rigoletto” and “La Traviata.” What unified them all, in any case, was the high quality of the performances.

The evening opened with a fast and funny “La mia Dorabella capace non é” (roughly, “My Dorabella could never do that”) from Mozart’s “Cosí fan tutte” (usually translated as “All Women Do It,” although it might be more accurate to call it “Everybody’s Doing It” and hope the Irving Berlin estate doesn’t sue). The scene opens the opera and sets up the plot, with military buddies Ferrando (tenor Terrence Chin-Loy) and Guglielmo (baritone Kyle Miller) insisting that the opera’s titular sentiment is bogus and that their fiancées would never betray them. The older and wiser Don Alfonso (bass Even Lazdowski, in the first of two outstanding comic performances) is skeptical and bets that he can prove otherwise, thereby setting up the next couple of hours’ worth of plot. Chin-Loy and Miller are both comically cocky in their roles.

Bellini’s 1831 tragedy “Norma” is up next, represented not by the opera’s Big Hit “Casta diva” but by the duet “Mira, o Norma” (“Look, o Norma”) in which the young priestess Adalgisa (mezzo Sophia Maekawa) renounces her feckless Roman boyfriend and both she and the high priestess Norma (soprano Angel Azzara) sing an oath of sisterhood. Both of these roles are demanding both vocally and dramatically, so it was good to see them performed with such force here. OTSL Artistic Director James Robinson directed both the Mozart and Bellini.

Patricia Racette

Next was the first old favorite of the program, “Au fond du temple saint” (“At the back of the holy temple”) from Bizet’s “Les pêcheurs de perles” (“The Pearl Fishers”). It’s one of opera’s great bromance numbers in which Nadir (Chin-Loy) and Zurga (baritone Schyler Vargas) pledge to set aside their mutual lust for the priestess Leïla. The singers’ voices blend beautifully in the duet’s big climax. Tara Braham directed.

The friendship thread continued with the scene from “Iphégenie en Tauride” in which Oreste (baritone Geoffrey Peterson) and Pylade (tenor Chance Jonas-O’Toole) argue over who which will give his life for the other. Neither wants the other to die, and Peterson and Jonas-O’Toole credibly displayed their anguish. Direction was by OTSL's multi-talented Artistic Director of Youn Artist Programs Patricia Racette.

Another entry in the hit parade was next with “Bella figlia dell’amore” (“Beautiful daughter of love”) in which Rigoletto (baritone Kyle Miller in a powerful performance) and his daughter Gilda (soprano Angel Riley, in fine voice as usual) watch the fickle Duke (tenor Ryan Bryce-Johnson) pursue Maddalena (mezzo Tesia Kwarteng). The scene between Bryce-Johnson and Kwarteng crackled with passion and fine singing. James Blaszko directed.

Maekawa and tenor Ganson Salmon poured their hearts into the weepy “Voici le clavecin qui chantait mes bonheurs” (“Here is the harpsichord which sang my happiness”) from “Werther,” directed by Branham, after which the mood lightened again with the hilarious “Lesson scene” from Donizetti’s comedy “La fille du regiment” (“The Daughter of the Regiment”) in which the down-to-earth Sulpice (another winner from Lazdowski) tries to help his adopted daughter Marie (soprano Lindsey Reynolds, in fine comic form) get through a tedious singing lesson with the pompous Marquise (Kwarteng, proving she can be funny as well as seductive). The deliberately off-pitch singing by Reynolds as Marie struggles with music she clearly hates was a nice touch. Darlene Edwards would have been proud.

The trio from Act III of “Madama Butterfly” reminded me of what a louse Pinkerton (tenor Moisés Salazar) is as he weeps crocodile tears while Sharpless (baritone Rob McGinnis) scolds him for his heartless betrayal of Butterfly and Suzuki (Maekawa) reluctantly agrees to be the bearer of bad tidings. Salazar’s Pinkerton was beautifully sung (which makes the character even less pleasant, oddly), McGinnis was an authoritative Sharpless, and Maekawa a sympathetic Suzuki. The scene from “La Traviata” that followed gave us another example of Men Behaving Badly as Germont (baritone Andrew René) pressures Violetta (soprano Avery Boettcher) into giving up his son Alfredo. René’s Germont had plenty of vocal authority and self-righteousness while Boettcher’s Violetta had impressive passion. Racette directed both these and the Donizetti.

Damien Francoeur-Kryzek

The evening ended with a pair of palate cleansers: the last few minutes of the ravishingly beautiful final trio from Richard Strauss’s bittersweet comedy “Der Rosenkavalier” (“The Cavalier of the Rose”) in which the Marschallin (Azzara) realizes she must renounce the titular cavalier Octavian (mezzo Meridian Prall) to his true love Sophie (soprano Helen Zhibing Huang). Their voices blended beautifully—essential in this intricate piece. This was, alas, the one time when I really missed the orchestra; Strauss’s lavish music really demands it. Blaszko directed.

The music of another Strauss—Johann Struass II, no relation—brought everything to a lively conclusion with familiar selections from the operetta “Die Fledermaus,” directed by Robinson. Prall returned as Prince Orlofsky. Like Octavian, it’s a “pants” role (a woman playing a man) and Prall was just as compelling here as she was in the previous number. As Adele, soprano Bianca Orsi was a delight in the famous “Laughing Song,” and the rest of the ensemble (Johnson, Vargas, Jonas-O-Toole, and Huang) joined in for the lively “Champagne Song” and the memorable waltz “Sing to Love.”

All four stage directors did excellent work, creating fine visuals and capturing the emotional heart of each scene. Greg Emetaz’s digital scenery added immensely to the theatrical effectiveness of the show.

The “Center Stage” showcase was, in short, a fitting finale for a very successful season by OTSL. Congratulations are due to all concerned. Whether we’ll be back to indoor theatre and concerts in 2022 is, in my view, an open question right now, but you can keep up with OTSL’s plans at their web site.

This article originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.

Sunday, June 20, 2021

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of June 21, 2021

Now including both on-line and live events during the pandemic. To get your event listed here, send an email to calendar [at] stageleft.org.

Arts for Life presents an on-demand video stream of their fifth annual Theatre Mask Awards, honoring excellence in community theatre productions during 2020, on their YouTube channel. Act Two Theatre’s production of the farce “Who’s in Bed with the Butler?” leads this year’s Theatre Mask Awards nominations with nine. Alton Little Theater, with its two productions of “Inherit the Wind” and “The Miracle Worker,” earned 12 nominations in total – six for each. Two classic comedies by Clayton Community Theatre, “The Philadelphia Story,” and Monroe Actors Stage Company, “The Solid Gold Cadillac,” both received eight nominations apiece. Arts For Life announced the TMA nominations on March 12, during the nonprofit organization’s first-ever virtual trivia night. For more information: www.artsforlife.org

The Blue Strawberry presents Open Mic Night with Sean Skrbec and Patrick White Sundays at 7 pm. "Come on down and sing, come on down to play, or come on down to listen and enjoy." The club is operating under a "COVID careful" arrangement with restricted indoor capacity, mask requirements, and other precautions. The Blue Strawberry is on North Boyle in the Central West End. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com.

Sister City Circus
Circus Harmony in St. Louis and Circus Circuli in Stuttgart, St. Louis's German sister city, present Sister City Circus, on Circus Harmony’s YouTube page.  "Through a series of online meetings, workshops, and classes the two troupes created 6 different circus acts and then filmed them at iconic architectural locations in each of their cities." This and many other Circus Harmony videos are available at the Circus Harmony YouTube channel.

Circus Harmony
offers Summer Circus Camps for ages 7-17 through August 13.  "Registration is open for our summer camps and classes for ages three through adult in our circus ring at City Museum! You can also schedule private lessons or book us to come and teach where you are!"  For more information: circusharmony.org.

ERA Theatre presents the radio play SHE by Nancy Bell with music by Joe Taylor and Lyrics by Nancy Bell via on-demand streaming  "SHE controls the radio station of the fascist regime in power. SHE's also the star of the broadcast. Her recording studio abounds with music and oysters. But in the nearby government camps full of misfits and would-be revolutionaries, only torture and starvation is thick on the ground. Tonight, however, SHE's realm feels different. The bombs sound closer. Time moves faster. But SHE will finish her radio show, and it will be her finest. If executing every number in the broadcast means some people need to die, so be it; it is a small sacrifice. The citizens need her and she will not let them down." SHE is available for digital purchase via bandcamp at eratheatre.bandcamp.com. For more information: www.eratheatre.org

Fly North Theatricals presents three new free digital series. Their new digital line up includes The Spotlight Series, the Grown-Up Theatre Kids Podcast, and Gin and the Tonic. The Spotlight Series highlights the Fly North family of students and actors performing songs from previous FNT shows. In the Grown-Up Theatre Kids podcast you can join Colin Healy and Bradley Rohlf every other Friday as they explore life after drama club and what it means to make a living in theatre far from the lights of broadway. Gin and the Tonic is a "reckless unpacking of music history’s weirdest stories hosted by Colin Healy.” The Spotlight Series and Gin and the Tonic are available at the Fly North Theatricals YouTube channel and the Grown-Up Theatre Kids podcast can also be found on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Sticher, other podcast platforms. All three are updated on a bi-weekly (every other week) basis.

The Lemp Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents Clueless through August 28. "Welcome to the world of big business, old mansions and family politics. You’re invited To the birthday celebration of the oldest, (and richest), man in town. Lucky you! Some would kill for the opportunity to meet Barnabas Barnaby Baggs, the famous Pickle Baron. He sure has made a lot of enemies on his rise to the top! I hope none of his enemies tries to kill him tonight. But if they do, will you know who did it? Maybe his latest girlfriend? The angry ex-wife? the spoiled nephew? Perhaps the jealous competitor? …Or You? Regardless, you’ll have to figure it whodunnit because we’re Clueless!" The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place in south city. For more information: www.lempmansion.com

The Midnight Company presents Joe Hanrahan in the one-man play Here Lies Henry by Daniel MacIvor Thursday through Saturday at 8 pm and Sunday at 2 pm through June 27. "Here Lies Henry is an innovative and truly off-the-wall look at a man on a mission to tell you something you don’t already know. He is also a liar. It can be described as an idyllic SORT OF miserable SORT OF storybook SORT OF nightmarish SORT OF remarkable SORT OF regular story." Performances take place at the Kranzberg Black Box Theatre at 501 N. Grand in Grand Center. For more information: midnightcompany.com.

Moonstone Theatre Company presents Moonstone Connections, a series of in-depth interviews with arts leaders by company founder Sharon Hunter. The latest episode features musical theatre composer and director Kevin Connors. New episodes air the third Tuesday of each month; see linktr.ee/moonstoneconnections for more information.

Mlima's Tale
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents the St. Louis premiere of Mlima's Tale by Lynn Nottage through July 11th. "Mlima, a majestic and powerful African elephant, is murdered for his tusks. From beyond the veil of death, Mlima’s spirit follows the path of his tusks on a moving, lyrical journey through the dark world of the international ivory trade. From Lynn Nottage, the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of Sweat and Ruined, Mlima’s Tale is a captivating and haunting fable come to life." Performances take place at the Berges Theatre at COCA, 6880 Washington Avenue in University City. For more information: repstl.org.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and St. Louis Black Repertory Company welcome two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage to St. Louis for a roundtable event, Telling the ‘Tale’ with Lynn Nottage on Friday, June 25, at 6 pm via Facebook Live and YouTube. Hana S. Sharif, Augustin Family Artistic Director at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and Ron Himes, Founder and Producing Director of The Black Rep will spend 90 minutes in conversation with Nottage, moderated by Adena Varner, Director of Learning and Community Engagement for The Rep. Telling the ‘Tale’ with Lynn Nottage is a free online event with an RSVP required via Eventbrite.

R-S Theatrics presents While the Ghostlight Burns, a virtual discussion series featuring R-S Artistic Director Sarah Lynne Holt in conversation with St. Louis theatre artists, Mondays at 7 pm.  Conversations will be archived at the R-S Theatrics YouTube channel. For more information: r-stheatrics.com/while-the-ghostlight-burns.html

The St. Louis Black Rep rounds up its season of virtual programming with a final mainstage production of Do I Move You?, available via on-demand streaming at Vimeo through June 30. Do I Move You? is based on a collection of poetry by Dr. Jonathan Smith, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Saint Louis University and President of The Black Rep Board of Directors. "Smith’s collection of poetry, music, and dance pulls inspiration from Jazz, religion, love, family, and some of the greatest musicians of our time -  Donny Hathaway, Louis Jordan, and Marvin Gaye. Conceived by Producing Director Ron Himes, using devised theatre, Black Rep Director and Choreographer Heather Beal weaves a web of music, dance, and poetry. Themes of betrayal, identity, discovery, and love flow throughout the performance, culminating to answer one very important question, 'Do I Move You?'” For more information: theblackrep.org.

King Lear
The St. Louis Shakespeare Festival presents Shakespeare's King Lear, starring André De Shields, running through June 27.  "Tony, Grammy, and Emmy award-winner André De Shields (Broadway: Hadestown, The Wiz, Ain’t Misbehavin) stars in the titanic title role in William Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy. Directed by Carl Cofield (Associate Artistic Director of the Classical Theatre of Harlem), King Lear is a brilliant return for Shakespeare in Forest Park." Audience members will be seated in individual pods which can accommodate up to six guests. Reservations are required in advance. For more information: stlshakes.org

The St. Louis Writers' Group presents a reading of Mrs. Winstead, a full-length screenplay by Mark Antieau on Monday, June 21, at 6:30 pm via Zoom. "A high school teacher stumbles upon a plot by a presidential candidate to activate his racist plans for America and how she and her students bring him to justice. " For more information, visit the St. Louis Writers' Group Facebook page.

SATE, in collaboration with COCA and Prison Performing Arts, presents Project Verse: Creativity in the Time of Quarantine. Project Verse presents two new plays: Quatrains in Quarantine by e.k. doolin and Dream On, Black Girl: Reflections in Quarantine by Maxine du Maine. The performances are streamed free of charge on SATE’s website and Facebook page. For more information: slightlyoff.org.

Classic Mystery Game
SATE also offers streaming performances of the shows originally scheduled for live 2020 productions: The Mary Shelley Monster Show, As You Like It (produced for SHAKE20, Project Verse, and Classic Mystery Game. The shows are available on their YouTube channel.

Stray Dog Theatre’s Silver Stage Program presents an on-demand streaming audio version of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. The production features a cast of actors exclusively over the age of 55. For more information: straydogtheatre.org.

The Tesseract Theatre Company presents the new play Feast by Megan Gogerty Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 4 pm, through June 27. The St. Louis premiere of Feast stars Donna Parrone and is directed by Shane Signorino. "A brave new work, navigating the intersection of politics and myth. Highly theatrical and timely, this dinner party is both thrillingly ancient and fiercely present. This is an immersive, visceral theatre experience where mythology crashes into pop culture. Feast reimagines an ancient myth as a cautionary tale against the rising forces of authoritarianism. There will be group seating as well as social distanced seating available in the space. There will be a limited number of tickets on sale for each performance. As of now, audience members will be asked to wear masks in the space for the duration of the performance for the safety and comfort of all other audience members." Performances take place at the .Zack Theatre at 3224 Locust Street. Tickets are available at MetroTix.com

Upstream Theater presents Refuge and Reconciliation: A Retrospective on their YouTube channel June 24-27 and July 1-4. "Once again we reached out to a number of actors, directors, designers and even a critic (!) -- and we hope this foray behind the scenes conveys how grateful we are to have so many talented professionals in our collective." For more information, visit their YouTube Channel.

Looking for auditions and other artistic opportunities? Check out the St. Louis Auditions site.
For information on events beyond this week, check out the searchable database at the Regional Arts Commission's Events Calendar.
Would you like to be on the radio? KDHX, 88.1 FM needs theatre reviewers. If you're 18 years or older, knowledgeable in this area, have practical theatre experience (acting, directing, writing, technical design, etc.), have good oral and written communications skills and would like to become one of our volunteer reviewers, send an email describing your experience and interests to chuck at kdhx.org. Please include a sample review of something you've seen recently.

Friday, June 18, 2021

Opera Review: Opera Theatre's "New Works, Bold Voices Lab" fully lives up to its name with a timely and diverse trio of one-acts

The pandemic wiped out the 2020 season of Opera Theatre of St. Louis (OSTSL), but they’re back in business this year. There are fewer performances, fewer seats, none of the operas run over 75 minutes, and it all happens on a newly constructed stage taking up what is usually the company’s main parking lot. They’re not down and out, just downsized and outdoors.

Over the Edge
Photo by Eric Woolsey
With highly successful productions of Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, William Grant Still’s Highway 1, U.S.A, and Poulenc’s La voix humaine already up and running, OTSL seems to have saved the best for last with the New Works, Bold Voices Lab. It’s a varied and consistently entertaining evening of three world premiere one-act operas which, as OTSL General Director Andrew Jorgensen said in an interview last month, were “actually designed with very small orchestral forces in mind…so they could be performed during the pandemic.”

Running around 20 minutes each, the three operas are all radically different in style, and yet they complement each other quite neatly. As Stage Director James Robinson writes in his program note in the OTSL app, each creative team was asked to think about the question, “what is on your mind and how are you feeling about the world right now?”. He describes their answers as “incredibly rich and varied”—a statement with which I heartily concur.

The evening opens with On the Edge, with music by Laura Karpman and a libretto by Taura Stinson, both of whom have extensive credits outside of the opera house/concert hall orbit. A five-time Emmy Award winner, Karpman has written extensively for television, film, theatre, and various newer media platforms. Stinson is described by OTSL as a “multi-hyphenated visionary,” which seems appropriate for someone who works as a vocalist, producer, composer, songwriter and author. Together, they have created a seriocomic reflection on the first three months of the COVID-19 pandemic from the points of view of a single mom (in April 2020), a mother working from home (May) and, finally, a classic nuclear family in June trying to find hope amidst the worsening pandemic, the murder of George Floyd, and the increasing miasma of violence and aggressive authoritarianism unfolding on their TV.

Moon Tea
Photo by Eric Woolsey

The first two scenes are fast-paced and witty, echoing (but never imitating) influences as diverse as Stephen Sondheim and Phillip Glass. You can hear the former in Stinson’s clever lyrics and the latter at the end of the first scene, in which Single Mom’s growing frustration, the demands of children Kadin and Kyra, and homework reminders from their teacher explode in a chorus of wildly overlapping vocal lines that coalesce in the refrain “We are stuck / in the muck / WHAT THE…”.

No, the last word isn’t actually sung. It’s funnier that way.

The second scene opens with a simple canon on the word “Zoom” sung by Mama, Mommy, and Son 1 to express the daily routine of lockdown and a life lived online. Other phrases are added in (“Getting fat, fat,” “It goes on and on”) and the vocal polyphony becomes more complex as Grandma starts to chime in with a confused mix of fact and fancy about the pandemic. The scene slowly winds down with a return to the original canon, suggesting that nothing will change anytime soon. Which, of course, it didn’t for most of us.

The shift in tone that comes with the more anguished and borderline-preachy final scene seems odd at first, but only until one reflects on the fact that the outrage at Floyd’s murder was amplified by, “[a] pandemic, and a captive audience, / For the world to catch a glimpse of our pain.” And the combination of pain, hope, and determination expressed in the closing quartet is both moving and inspiring. “Hold on!” they sing. “And all the fallen stars, / We will speak your names.”

Moon Tea
Photo by Eric Woolsey
The 13 named roles in the three scenes are played by the impressively versatile quartet of soprano Monica Dewey, mezzo Mack Wolz, mezzo Melody Wilson, and bass-baritone Calvin Griffin (who is also making his OTSL debut). Wilson is a particularly familiar face on the local scene, having appeared with both OTSL and Union Avenue Opera over the years.

The mood shifts towards Monty Pyton-esque surrealism in the second opera, Moon Tea, with music by Steven Mackey and a libretto by Rinde Eckert. Mackey’s eclectic compositional style—often heard at St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) concerts during the tenure of former Music Director David Robertson— meshes quite well with the imaginative and whimsical words of the multi-talented Eckert (a composer, singer, actor, and director as well as a writer).

Moon Tea is a fanciful and slightly loopy imaginary version of a real-world event: an awkward 1969 meeting with Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip. and Apollo 13 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, along with their wives. The Queen was unenthusiastic about the project, Armstrong was suffering from a terrible cold, and Collins (as Aldrin would reveal many years later on Twitter) “almost fell down the stairs trying not to turn his back” on the Queen.

It was not a great moment for the Anglo-American alliance, and the farcical nature of the simple facts of the event appealed greatly to Mackey. “I’m a sucker for fish-out-of-water stories,” he confesses in comments on the OTSL YouTube channel. “The music just flowed out.”

Mackey’s musical toolbox is as eclectic as Karpman’s, although in his case that eclecticism stems from a background in rock and pop. He and his long-time collaborator Eckert were members of the band Big Farm and have teamed up on many projects in the past. As a result, both the music and words of Moon Tea seamlessly unite to create a whimsical sonic world that combines unorthodox elements such as microtonality and oddball percussion instruments like the flexatone with more conventional techniques without any hint of a conflict.

Ingenious touches include the ragged sneeze rhythms that repeatedly interrupt Neil Armstrong’s vocal line, the slightly demented, not-quite-a-waltz theme that serves as the basis for the dreamlike scene in which Queen Elizabeth imagines herself Queen of the Moon, and the elaborate, rapid-fire patter song that illustrates Michael Collins’ awkwardness. If Gilbert and Sullivan were still with us, they would have loved it.

That said, I found Moon Tea to be amusing, but not particularly involving. Moon Tea is facile and often brilliant, with plenty of playful stage business and clever use of digital animation by designer Craig Emetaz, but at around 20 minutes it’s as long as it needs to be.

Still, congratulations are due the performers, all of whom fully inhabit their roles. Monica Dewey is properly regal Queen Elizabeth, Melody Wilson a cheerfully celebrity-obsessed Janet Armstrong, and tenor Jonathan Johnson a pleasantly fatuous Prince Philip. Tenor Michael Day rattles off his tricky patter song with the assurance of a latter-day John Reed and Jarrett Porter’s weighty baritone lends dignity to the afflicted Neil Armstrong.

The Tongue and the Lash
Photo by Eric Woolsey
The program ends with the most emotionally powerful opera of the trio, The Tongue and the Lash, with music by Damien Sneed and libretto by Karen Chilton. A singer, instrumentalist, and conductor as well as a composer, Sneed’s background is wide-ranging, spanning the worlds of jazz, pop, and R&B along with the classics, while Chilton is an actor and writer as well as a classical pianist. The result of their collaboration packs a serious punch.

Like Moon Tea, The Tongue and the Lash is inspired by a real event: the 1965 debate between author and activist James Baldwin and conservative intellectual gadfly William F. Buckley, Jr. on the premise that “the American dream is at the expense of the American Negro.” It is, perhaps, a sign of the times that the vote declaring Baldwin the winner was 544 to 164 instead of, say, 708 to zero.

The opera, which takes place in the Cambridge University Union after the verdict has been rendered, imagines what a post-debate conversation between Baldwin and Buckley might have been.  Baldwin is portrayed with vocal power and gravitas by baritone Markel Reed. In long vocal lines that carry the weight of authority and conviction, he declares that “I have made plain my case” but then asks, “what victory is there / When all our suffering and injustice is laid bare?” When, at one point, Baldwin’s music turns into a passionate gospel hymn on the words “Time is all we’ve got,” the effect is electrifying.

The Tongue and the Lash
Photo by Eric Woolsey
The contrast with Buckley’s music could hardly be stronger. Where Baldwin glides, Buckley skitters. His vocal line dances around to a rapid, slightly discordant accompaniment in a strikingly effective musical equivalent of what the New York Times obit called the real Buckley’s “use of ten-dollar words and a darting tongue writers loved to compare to an anteater’s.” Jonathan Johnson perfectly captures Buckley’s trademark supercilious attitude and deftly negotiates the character’s sometimes florid passages.

All three operas share the same eight-piece ensemble of St. Louis Symphony Orchestra members: first violinist Xiaoxiao Qiang, second violinist Janet Carpenter, violist Leonid Plashinov-Johnson, cellist Elizabeth Chung, and double bass Erik Harris. The sizeable percussion battery consists of Shannon Wood on timpani with Alan Stewart and Thomas Stubbs on everything else. Composer/conductor Daniela Candillari, who leads a special SLSO concert on June 24th, is on the podium. Their performance of this varied assortment of new and challenging music was a joy to witness.

Opera Theatre of St. Louis’s exceptional 2021 season continues through Sunday, June 20th on the Webster University campus. For more information, visit the company’s web site.

A shorter version of this article originally appeared at Classical Voice North America.

Sunday, June 13, 2021

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of June 14, 2021

Now including both on-line and live events during the pandemic. To get your event listed here, send an email to calendar [at] stageleft.org.

Arts for Life presents an on-demand video stream of their fifth annual Theatre Mask Awards, honoring excellence in community theatre productions during 2020, on their YouTube channel. Act Two Theatre’s production of the farce “Who’s in Bed with the Butler?” leads this year’s Theatre Mask Awards nominations with nine. Alton Little Theater, with its two productions of “Inherit the Wind” and “The Miracle Worker,” earned 12 nominations in total – six for each. Two classic comedies by Clayton Community Theatre, “The Philadelphia Story,” and Monroe Actors Stage Company, “The Solid Gold Cadillac,” both received eight nominations apiece. Arts For Life announced the TMA nominations on March 12, during the nonprofit organization’s first-ever virtual trivia night. For more information: www.artsforlife.org

The Blue Strawberry presents Open Mic Night with Sean Skrbec and Patrick White Sundays at 7 pm. "Come on down and sing, come on down to play, or come on down to listen and enjoy." The club is operating under a "COVID careful" arrangement with restricted indoor capacity, mask requirements, and other precautions. The Blue Strawberry is on North Boyle in the Central West End. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com.

The Blue Strawberry presents Remembering Rick, a cabaret honoring the late singer/songwriter Rick Jensen, on Saaturday, June 19, at 2 pm. "Over the past dozen years, Rick Jensen has become an essential part of the lives of so many of us here in Saint Louis, and he left this life way too soon on Tuesday, March 24th, 2021, at the age of 62." The program, which will feature 18 St. Louis singers with songs and stories about Jensen, will be performed live at the Blue Strawberry on North Boyle in the Central West End, and will also be broadcast live at the Blue Strawberry Facebook page. For more information, visit the Remembering Rick event page on Facebook.

Sister City Circus
Circus Harmony in St. Louis and Circus Circuli in Stuttgart, St. Louis's German sister city, present Sister City Circus, on Circus Harmony’s YouTube page.  "Through a series of online meetings, workshops, and classes the two troupes created 6 different circus acts and then filmed them at iconic architectural locations in each of their cities." This and many other Circus Harmony videos are available at the Circus Harmony YouTube channel.

Circus Harmony
offers Summer Circus Camps for ages 7-17 through August 13.  "Registration is open for our summer camps and classes for ages three through adult in our circus ring at City Museum! You can also schedule private lessons or book us to come and teach where you are!"  For more information: circusharmony.org.

ERA Theatre presents the radio play SHE by Nancy Bell with music by Joe Taylor and Lyrics by Nancy Bell via on-demand streaming  "SHE controls the radio station of the fascist regime in power. SHE's also the star of the broadcast. Her recording studio abounds with music and oysters. But in the nearby government camps full of misfits and would-be revolutionaries, only torture and starvation is thick on the ground. Tonight, however, SHE's realm feels different. The bombs sound closer. Time moves faster. But SHE will finish her radio show, and it will be her finest. If executing every number in the broadcast means some people need to die, so be it; it is a small sacrifice. The citizens need her and she will not let them down." SHE is available for digital purchase via bandcamp at eratheatre.bandcamp.com. For more information: www.eratheatre.org

Fly North Theatricals presents three new free digital series. Their new digital line up includes The Spotlight Series, the Grown-Up Theatre Kids Podcast, and Gin and the Tonic. The Spotlight Series highlights the Fly North family of students and actors performing songs from previous FNT shows. In the Grown-Up Theatre Kids podcast you can join Colin Healy and Bradley Rohlf every other Friday as they explore life after drama club and what it means to make a living in theatre far from the lights of broadway. Gin and the Tonic is a "reckless unpacking of music history’s weirdest stories hosted by Colin Healy.” The Spotlight Series and Gin and the Tonic are available at the Fly North Theatricals YouTube channel and the Grown-Up Theatre Kids podcast can also be found on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Sticher, other podcast platforms. All three are updated on a bi-weekly (every other week) basis.

The Lemp Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents Clueless through August 28. "Welcome to the world of big business, old mansions and family politics. You’re invited To the birthday celebration of the oldest, (and richest), man in town. Lucky you! Some would kill for the opportunity to meet Barnabas Barnaby Baggs, the famous Pickle Baron. He sure has made a lot of enemies on his rise to the top! I hope none of his enemies tries to kill him tonight. But if they do, will you know who did it? Maybe his latest girlfriend? The angry ex-wife? the spoiled nephew? Perhaps the jealous competitor? …Or You? Regardless, you’ll have to figure it whodunnit because we’re Clueless!" The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place in south city. For more information: www.lempmansion.com

The Midnight Company presents Joe Hanrahan in the one-man play Here Lies Henry by Daniel MacIvor Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm and Sunday, June 27, at 2 pm through June 27. "Here Lies Henry is an innovative and truly off-the-wall look at a man on a mission to tell you something you don’t already know. He is also a liar. It can be described as an idyllic SORT OF miserable SORT OF storybook SORT OF nightmarish SORT OF remarkable SORT OF regular story." Performances take place at the Kranzberg Black Box Theatre at 501 N. Grand in Grand Center. For more information: midnightcompany.com.

Moonstone Theatre Company presents Moonstone Connections, a series of in-depth interviews with arts leaders by company founder Sharon Hunter. The latest episode features musical theatre composer and director Kevin Connors. New episodes air the third Tuesday of each month; see linktr.ee/moonstoneconnections for more information.

Highway 1, U.S.A.
Photo by Eric Woolsey
Opera Theatre presents the St. Louis premiere of William Grant Still's Highway 1, U.S.A., running through June 17. "Bob and Mary have worked hard and sacrificed much to put Bob’s brother Nate through school. Meanwhile, Mary dreams of the day when she and Bob can put their hard-earned money towards their own future. When Nate shows no inclination to strike out on his own, tensions slowly build to a breaking point. This intimate opera by the “Dean of African-American Composers” features a sweeping score that brilliantly blends elements of Romanticism, blues, and musical theater — and proves itself more than worthy of being restored to the operatic canon." Performances are sung in English with English supertitles and take place on the company's new outdoor stage on the Webster University Campus. For more information: opera-stl.org.

Patricia Racette in La voix humaine
Photo by Eric Woolsey
Opera Theatre presents Francis Poulenc's one-character opera La voix humaine through June 20. "Alone and desperate for connection, Elle frantically awaits her ex-lover’s call. The tense conversation is further jeopardized by a terrible phone connection, driving Elle into a dangerously fragile state as she grapples with grief, denial, and anger. This explosive one-woman opera features a self-directed tour-de-force performance by soprano Patricia Racette." Performances are sung in English with English supertitles and take place on the company's new outdoor stage on the Webster University Campus. For more information: opera-stl.org.

Moon Tea from New Works, Bold Voices
Photo by Eric Woolsey
Opera Theatre presents the New Works, Bold Voices Lab, opening through June 18. "Critically acclaimed composers Laura Karpman (HBO’s Lovecraft Country), Steven Mackey (Orpheus Unsung), and Damien Sneed (We Shall Overcome) create new 20-minute operas featuring a small ensemble of singers and musicians. These commissions are an expansion of OTSL’s existing “New Works, Bold Voices” cycle, which supports contemporary storytelling by American composers and librettists." Performances are sung in English with English supertitles and take place on the company's new outdoor stage on the Webster University Campus. For more information: opera-stl.org.

Opera Theatre and the Missouri Historical Society present I Dream a World, a celebration of Juneteenth, on Tuesday, June 15, at 6 pm. The evening features music, song, and spoken word performances by members of the 2021 Festival Season Ensemble and other local artists. Registration is required for the event, which takes place on the North Lawn of the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park. For more information: opera-stl.org.

Opera Theatre presents the annual Center Stage Young Artists Showcase Saturday at 8 pm and Sunday at 1 pm, June 19 and 20. "This electric event shines a spotlight on Opera Theatre’s Richard Gaddes Festival Artist and Gerdine Young Artist Programs. A cadre of rising opera stars will perform iconic melodies from opera’s greatest hits and cherished rarities. Center Stage is curated by Patricia Racette, Artistic Director of Young Artist Programs, and James Robinson, Artistic Director of Opera Theatre." For more information: opera-stl.org.

Mlima's Tale
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents the St. Louis premiere of Mlima's Tale by Lynn Nottage through July 11th. "Mlima, a majestic and powerful African elephant, is murdered for his tusks. From beyond the veil of death, Mlima’s spirit follows the path of his tusks on a moving, lyrical journey through the dark world of the international ivory trade. From Lynn Nottage, the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of Sweat and Ruined, Mlima’s Tale is a captivating and haunting fable come to life." Performances take place at the Berges Theatre at COCA, 6880 Washington Avenue in University City. For more information: repstl.org.

R-S Theatrics presents While the Ghostlight Burns, a virtual discussion series featuring R-S Artistic Director Sarah Lynne Holt in conversation with St. Louis theatre artists, Mondays at 7 pm.  Conversations will be archived at the R-S Theatrics YouTube channel. For more information: r-stheatrics.com/while-the-ghostlight-burns.html

The St. Louis Black Rep rounds up its season of virtual programming with a final mainstage production of Do I Move You?, available via on-demand streaming at Vimeo June 15-30. Do I Move You? is based on a collection of poetry by Dr. Jonathan Smith, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Saint Louis University and President of The Black Rep Board of Directors. "Smith’s collection of poetry, music, and dance pulls inspiration from Jazz, religion, love, family, and some of the greatest musicians of our time -  Donny Hathaway, Louis Jordan, and Marvin Gaye. Conceived by Producing Director Ron Himes, using devised theatre, Black Rep Director and Choreographer Heather Beal weaves a web of music, dance, and poetry. Themes of betrayal, identity, discovery, and love flow throughout the performance, culminating to answer one very important question, 'Do I Move You?'” For more information: theblackrep.org.

King Lear
The St. Louis Shakespeare Festival presents Shakespeare's King Lear, starring André De Shields, running through June 27.  "Tony, Grammy, and Emmy award-winner André De Shields (Broadway: Hadestown, The Wiz, Ain’t Misbehavin) stars in the titanic title role in William Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy. Directed by Carl Cofield (Associate Artistic Director of the Classical Theatre of Harlem), King Lear is a brilliant return for Shakespeare in Forest Park." Audience members will be seated in individual pods which can accommodate up to six guests. Reservations are required in advance. For more information: stlshakes.org

The St. Louis Shakespeare Festival presents a Behind the Scenes Shakespeare Camp for ages 11-18, with full sessions beginning on Friday, May 28 and running through June 4. Half sessions run from June 7 through 25.  "This summer, Camp Shakespeare will include an all-new hands-on experience in Shakespeare Glen during rehearsal and performances for King Lear. In addition to daily classes led by experienced Festival Teaching Artists in voice, movement, acting technique, and textual analysis–the campers will get a behind-the-scenes look at how our mainstage production comes together AND a preview of the professional masterclass with Tony award-winner André De Shields!" For more information: stlshakes.org.

The St. Louis Writers' Group presents a reading of Subtitles, A TV series pilot by Thomas Rechenberg on Monday, June 7, at 6:30 pm via Zoom. "Subtitles is the story of 23 year-old Jack Goetz- a down on his luck stand-up comedian who realizes his dream of playing at renowned New York comedy clubs might be just that- a dream. Hoping his Wall Street roommates with real careers don’t kick him out of their Upper East side bachelor pad, Jack gets a tedious office job transcribing subtitles for trashy British reality tv shows.The work is mind-numbing, the boss is unyielding and the hot girl he can’t stop fantasizing about is actually the girl he’s taking over for. As Jack struggles to settle into his new life of daily memos and fluorescent lights, his co-workers help him realize his dream of becoming a legendary stand-up comedian shouldn’t be written off just yet." For more information, visit the St. Louis Writers' Group Facebook page.

SATE, in collaboration with COCA and Prison Performing Arts, presents Project Verse: Creativity in the Time of Quarantine. Project Verse presents two new plays: Quatrains in Quarantine by e.k. doolin and Dream On, Black Girl: Reflections in Quarantine by Maxine du Maine. The performances are streamed free of charge on SATE’s website and Facebook page. For more information: slightlyoff.org.

Classic Mystery Game
SATE also offers streaming performances of the shows originally scheduled for live 2020 productions: The Mary Shelley Monster Show, As You Like It (produced for SHAKE20, Project Verse, and Classic Mystery Game. The shows are available on their YouTube channel.

Stray Dog Theatre’s Silver Stage Program presents an on-demand streaming audio version of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. The production features a cast of actors exclusively over the age of 55. For more information: straydogtheatre.org.

The Tesseract Theatre Company presents the new play Feast by Megan Gogerty Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 4 pm, through June 27. The St. Louis premiere of Feast will star Donna Parrone and be directed by Shane Signorino. "A brave new work, navigating the intersection of politics and myth. Highly theatrical and timely, this dinner party is both thrillingly ancient and fiercely present. This is an immersive, visceral theatre experience where mythology crashes into pop culture. Feast reimagines an ancient myth as a cautionary tale against the rising forces of authoritarianism. There will be group seating as well as social distanced seating available in the space. There will be a limited number of tickets on sale for each performance. As of now, audience members will be asked to wear masks in the space for the duration of the performance for the safety and comfort of all other audience members." Performances take place at the .Zack Theatre at 3224 Locust Street. Tickets are available at MetroTix.com

Looking for auditions and other artistic opportunities? Check out the St. Louis Auditions site.
For information on events beyond this week, check out the searchable database at the Regional Arts Commission's Events Calendar.
Would you like to be on the radio? KDHX, 88.1 FM needs theatre reviewers. If you're 18 years or older, knowledgeable in this area, have practical theatre experience (acting, directing, writing, technical design, etc.), have good oral and written communications skills and would like to become one of our volunteer reviewers, send an email describing your experience and interests to chuck at kdhx.org. Please include a sample review of something you've seen recently.